2025 Whakatipu Music Festival AND THAT'S A WRAP! Thank you for the music. A whole week of activities! Six incredible and diverse concerts, private performances at lifestyle homes and at STARKWHITE gallery, workshops for students at all walks of life, and performances from incredible local performers! Our young artists gained incredible mentorship and support from our industry professionals ahead of their performances - including seminars on living sustainable as a touring artist and What I Wish I Knew at 25.…

2025 Whakatipu Music Festival Welcoming two incredible conductors: Euan Safey and Reuben Brown In the lead up to our 2025 Whakatipu Music Festival we will be introducing you to each of our selected young and emerging artists who will take the stage alongside five internationally renowned classical musicians this Easter. About Reuben: Hailing from the deep south of Aotearoa New Zealand, Reuben Brown is the 2025 NZ Assistant Conductor-in-Residence, where he will debut with the Auckland Philharmonia, Christchurch…

2025 Whakatipu Music Festival Our Kiwi vocalists return home: Austin Haynes and Felicity Tomkins In the lead up to our 2025 Whakatipu Music Festival we will be introducing you to each of our selected young and emerging artists who will take the stage alongside five internationally renowned classical musicians this Easter. About Austin: Austin Haynes is a countertenor, poet, translator and researcher originally from Kā Muriwai/Arrowtown. He grew up between there and Narrm/Melbourne. In 2019 he moved to…

2025 Whakatipu Music Festival Introducing our Young Artists: Violinists Esther Oh and Sarah Lee In the lead up to our 2025 Whakatipu Music Festival we will be introducing you to each of our selected young and emerging artists who will take the stage alongside five internationally renowned classical musicians this Easter. About Esther: 20-year-old Esther Oh was born in New Zealand and is in their second year studying violin and conducting at the University of Auckland. Picking up…

2025 Whakatipu Music Festival Introducing our Young Artists: Otis Prescott-Mason and Yixuan (William) Sun In the lead up to our 2025 Whakatipu Music Festival we will be introducing you to each of our selected young and emerging artists who will take the stage alongside five internationally renowned classical musicians this Easter. Otis Prescott-Mason: Otis Prescott-Mason is a Wellington-born pianist who began his piano studies with Erin Taylor at the age of five. He is currently studying classical performance piano at…

2025 Whakatipu Music Festival Introducing our Young Artists: Violists Tal Amoore and Yuxin Chen. In the lead up to our 2025 Whakatipu Music Festival we will be introducing you to each of our selected young and emerging artists who will take the stage alongside five internationally renowned classical musicians this Easter. About Tal: Born in Sydney and based in Aotearoa, violist Tal Amoore a recipient of the NZSM Director’s Award, he is completing his Bachelor of Music at…